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Annotated Reference Guide to Collectible Books

Verne, Jules

Everyone may well have heard of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and Around the World in 80 Days, but what many may not be aware of is that Jules Verne was a very prolific writer in his day, churning out many short stories, fairytales, poems, plays and serialized adventures. He was well-regarded as an adventurist of his time, with a collection of much of his work in volumes known as the ‘Voyages Extroardinaires’ (or Extraordinary Travels). While today his contribution to the field of speculative fiction is undeniable, at the time his work was published, it was considered rather immodest, even low-brow!

However, this makes the task of collecting Jules Verne far more interesting for the serious collector. While his tales were picked up by a series of newspapers and periodical magazines, the novels were only picked up by somewhat smaller publishers in London, Paris and Canada. One of the most notable of these was London’s Strahern and Co., who invested serious money into producing hard-bound copies of his work.

These gorgeous Strahern First Editions which date from the late nineteenth century (1875 onwards), include hard-bound stained covers (so there are red, green and blue editions) as well as embossed gold leaf covers. Although not as fancy compared to some of the larger publishers, and with a higher likelihood of decay and damage to the binding, for the collector that means that these editions can be relatively inexpensive. What makes them doubly attractive is the addition of printed book plate illustrations throughout inspired by the stories within. First Edition Jules Verne from London’s Strahern& Co are available from as little as $200 dollars right up to $1000.

Verne, Jules. From the Earth to the Moon Direct in 97 Hours 20 Minutes. Sampson Low, London (1876).Trans. from the French by Louis Mercier and Eleanor E. King; varying numbers of illustrations: 1) vignette on title, 25 text illustrations by Riou; 2) 8 plates by Ferat; 3) vignette on title, 8 plates by Ferat; 4) frontispiece portrait of author, 14 plates by Ferat; 5) 7 plates by various French artists; 6) 9 full page illustrations by Emile Bayard; 7) frontispiece to both parts plus a total of 7 plates